5 free agency destinations for Mike Conley
By John Buhler
player. 89. . East. Central. Milwaukee Bucks. 4
It’s obvious, but the Milwaukee Bucks are really only a solid point guard away from being a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference. Last year’s team surprised many with its strong first half en route to a near-.500 season and a No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, where the Bucks took the rival Chicago Bulls to six games before elimination.
However since the Brandon Knight/Michael Carter-Williams blockbuster 2015 NBA Trade Deadline deal, the Bucks have plummeted almost instantaneously. Carter-Williams was meant to come in a be a protegé of former NBA great point guard and Bucks head coach Jason Kidd to fix his broken jumper to become an All-Star caliber player. It hasn’t worked out as Milwaukee is certainly NBA Draft Lottery bound in 2016.
With a dynamic roster two through five, starring Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker, might people actually Fear the Deer if they sign Mike Conley this summer in free agency. Not that Milwaukee is a marquee free agent destination by any means, but playing in the Eastern Conference under a brilliant former point guard in Kidd could help Conley become a perennial All-Star leading a scary-good Bucks team for the next few years.
Defensively, Milwaukee already has some intriguing pieces, but have been rather disinterested on that end of the floor this season for some reason, despite being a top tier defense only the year before. The persistent offensive frustrations have to be bleeding over into Milwaukee’s underwhelming 2015-16 NBA season.
Having a point guard with a great offensive game, a strong handle, and defensive prowess could help the Bucks go from bad to great in just one year. While Conley may not want to go from one small market to another from Memphis to Milwaukee, there is reason to believe that the Bucks can contend in the next few years with that corps for Conference Finals appearances, assuming that the group continues to grow.
Milwaukee is so close, it’s hard to not imagine that the front office won’t rectify the point guard play this summer with someone like Conley brought into help the starting lineup explode to stardom.
Next: 3. Memphis Grizzlies